"Nothing short of an aroused public can change things; nothing less than democracy is at stake." - Bill Moyers

November 14, 2007

A Pitiable Place in History

This from the Huffington Post:What Is It Like to be a Democrat -- by David Bromwich

On Thursday night, the Senate voted to confirm Michael Mukasey as the next attorney general.

The 53-40 majority included all the Republicans present and six Democrats who crossed over. Love of power, privilege, and punishment express the soul of the Republican party today.

The Democrats are a sadder story. When you have given up this much, what is there left for you to be?

Four Democratic senators were not present to cast a vote: Biden, Clinton, Dodd, and Obama. One of three Republicans who did not vote was John McCain.xxxObama, Clinton, Biden and Dodd had declared their opposition to Mukasey earlier in the week. They could not find the time to leave their campaigns for an election a year away, to show up for a vote more critical than any they are likely to see for months. Nor did they use this occasion for a major statement.Click here for the complete text.***So, now I'm at a loss. No one among the available candidates stood up against torture. So, who can I stand up for in the primary?Of course, I'll vote against the Republican -- whoever he may be. But, once again, I will not be voting for anyone, come next November [unless Edwards gets the nod -- since he's not a Senator at the moment, he couldn't have voted.]